Obsidian Wings
by Aura Creed
Summary: Obsidian, a feather, a heart barely kept to a rib cage and a connection spanning deeper then the history of two races. Bendy didn't know why or how he was able to fly like this but he didn't care. Alice would live. And he... well, he just hoped he'd be able to get her back home in time. Recursive fic off of BABITIM (See A/N inside for details).


**A/N:** This story is a Recursive fic (A fanfic of a fanfic) based off of Bendy and Boris in the Inky Mystery (BABITIM) by ThisAnimatedPhantom, which is based off of Bendy and Boris: The Quest for the Ink Machine (BABTQFTIM) by TheGreatRouge (the bbros). The reason this isn't put into a crossover tab is because it focuses on Bendy and Alice, and this is an AU scenario to the works in question. Other characters that would make this a crossover are Cuphead and Mugman but they're only mentioned. They don't actually show up.

This is a Secret Santa gift from the BABITIM Discord server for Perri. This was put up on AO3 first so they've already seen it, but I figured you guys might enjoy it as well. I will say though this will probably be confusing for those of you unfamiliar with BABITIM (characters specific to this one are mentioned by name but don't show up) or BABTQFTIM (for the main backdrop, character personalities and scenario). You've been warned.

* * *

The wind howled in Bendy's ears, his inky wings keeping him just barely above the treetops. Even now he barely knew how he'd managed to get into the sky with these things, but that thought was quickly tossed from his mind. Holding Alice tighter in his arms so she wouldn't hit the trees, his wings flapped, trying to gain altitude. He kept wobbling, and it wasn't long after that he fell to the ground, tumbling. He looked down at Alice, his breath coming out in gasps.

The black stain was traveling from her punctured shoulder into her veins, blackening them. They ran down her arms and up her neck - they'd almost reached her eyes. She'd been out cold for days. He was told she would die, if she didn't make it back to the healing springs of the Upper. Of her home.

He placed her down gently and wiped at his forehead. He knew what that meant for him. A demon, taking an angel to the Upper - hah. He already knew that fear from when he had been on trial awaiting his papers. Angels that had his life in the palm of their hands, he'd seen it then. They were nothing like the people in Sillyvision. They'd snuff him out without even blinking just because he was a demon and yet…

His fists clenched and unclenched, fingers trembling. He didn't have time to falter like this. He didn't know how much this wound was going to spread, but he knew it was doing something to her magic. It snaked and clawed at it, and slowly but surely the warmth of spring that radiated off of her like her smile was fading, turning cold. Drifting away like ashes on the wind.

Everyday he'd feel it, as he'd flown to get her here. Everyday he'd notice more and more of it vanishing, almost as if she wasn't an angel at all anymore but a regular person, and it terrified him. She was dying. Each beat of his heart felt painful in his ribcage. He wondered how much she was suffering, how bad it was for her to have been out cold for so many days. How much it hurt.

A gurgle rose from his throat as he hunched over. He gagged as the burning taste of ink split past his lips and onto the ground. He gasped, feeling the tremors rise up through his fingers to his arms, then his shoulders.

He had - no time - for _this_. He swallowed, feeling his body dripping as he forced the shadows to keep him together. He could feel something stretching, aching in the back of his mind but the shadows took away the burning, even as ink continued to bead and run down his skin.

It'd been days since he'd left the others, and he hadn't once felt the need to sleep, but his grip on the shadows was loosening. His attacks only seemed to seep further and further through them. It was only a matter of time, and he didn't bring his medicine with him.

He looked down at her face. Pale, paler than her usual complexion, with that blackness that pulsed and crawled. He swiped a thumb along her cheek, her body in a cold sweat. If she could see him right now he had no doubt he was betraying himself with just how much that scared him. The thought of her dying.

Bendy spoke, his voice a deep rasp. "We're almost there, Alice… Just hang in there a bit longer." Wrapping his arms underneath her he stood up. His grip was firm but delicate - too afraid of breaking her if he held her any other way - and he looked to the sky. Inky wings sprouted from his back without him even trying. They rolled and swayed as he jumped.

They seemed to go into autopilot, catching the wind and the updraft that sent him upwards and upwards, hurtling towards and eventually past the clouds.

There was only one more hurdle and then she'd finally be safe.

* * *

He didn't know how long it took him to get up here. His lungs were burning, his body was numb, number than usual, and it felt like ink was pouring off of him like shower water. By the gate were two Angel guards, horrified by his appearance as he landed down meters away from them. He smelled them coming closer - their fear, despite his current state still tantalizing - and he looked up. Something was dripping and partially obstructing his vision but he couldn't tell if it was from the shadows, the ink, or his own sweat caking his hair in front of his eyes as he raised Alice up, presenting her, even as spears were aimed at his throat. "_Save her_."

Time itself seemed to slow then, as the angels stood still in shock. His mind swam as a third guard hesitantly walked up to him.

"_No, it's not fine!"_ A voice rung in his head as Alice's weight left his arms. "_I shouldn't - you deserve better, than that!"_ Alice. He didn't recognize the conversation. The angel that had taken Alice from him was giving him the evil eye.

"_I don't fully understand your situation, either. How angels see demons, see me. Those other schmucks are just full of it but you… you and your people have a reason."_

He felt his weight give out from under him, arms wobbling as he hit the ground with a splash. He gasped.

"_So what if the other demons are a bunch of moonrocks? Just don't follow their example, you hear me?"_ Cup. Why was he hearing all of this, now?

"_Don't mind Cup, we've had… bad experiences with other demons. You're nothing like them."_

"_A demon? Never met one of your kind before, what a pleasure. Come in, come in, we were just having breakfast…"_The voices were sprouting up like weeds. Mugman, Granny. A shadow fell over him and blocked his view of the sun.

"_Those boys are stronger then you know, don't you dare look down on them."_

"_We persue the truth and nothing but. When the world is out to get you and you're feeling cornered…"_"_...We get that. Don't be afraid to ask us for help, alright?"_Felix. The detectives. Something cold, colder then his skin stuck its way into his shoulder, but he couldn't feel it. It pulled back. He thought he saw one of the angels fall over.

"_If I hadn't met you I don't think I'd ever have known as many people as I do now. Why do you still care that I lost my job? That was probably the best thing that ever happened to me!"_

"_Going so soon? Come on, me and Sammy have another show to put on! Stay for that at least!"_His mind felt sluggish, but thoughts that didn't feel like his own kept coming. Spurring him, and yet he couldn't feel anything anymore. The air was still sickly sweet. Bendy was able to finally focus, even as his eyes fought him to close, to go dark.

A set of feathery wings clouded over him, a spear raised high.

"_You're not going to die, and that's final!"_ He heard Boris screaming. He could clearly see his face, almost too clearly.

Ah, so that's what was going on. He smiled, bitter and relieved and clawing and somehow he could see fingers twitching in the puddle he was turning into as he breathed.

"Thank you."

* * *

One moment Hazel had her spear raised, poised and primed. Her partner had just fallen over from trying to sufficiently stab the demon and failing - or at least she thought so. Nothing but liquid shadow seemed to come back but it didn't attack, or violently lash out. It just… existed.

Even so, she didn't hesitate as she brought her spear down.

"Thank you."

The demon spoke and turned into a puddle before she even got the chance to hit it. Her spear met with whatever it'd turned into and splashed in the muck. She felt her nose crinkle as the scent finally hit her. Ink?

Any of the cold that had been permeating the area left immediately as soon as the demon… died, she supposed. She didn't know what that was or why he'd suddenly died by turning into ink. Ink demon? Was that such a thing? Did other demons die by turning into puddles? If so this was the first one she'd seen do that. How odd.

"Hazel! Lance!" She turned. "Are you two ok?"

"We're fine, Jena." She sighed. "I'm guessing Lance is just spooked but the demons been dealt with… I suppose…"

Jena let out a long breath but it sounded more like a whine. Her wings drooped. "Good lordy loo, I thought the demons were sending an attack force or something. I can't believe one even made it to the gates. I-I'm going to inform the Sanctuary."

Hazel flicked her spear off, wiping at it with a rag. "You do that." Jena started running back. "Don't forget to tell them he brought an archangel with him!" Hazel yelled after her.

"He… He just… melted." Hazel turned down to Lance. He was staring, no longer startled but instead… Concerned? She couldn't tell. "Why does this smell like ink?"

"Who knows. We'll get someone to clean it up later," Or they could just leave it for the rains to wash away, because dead demon was gross, even if it was just ink now. "Come on," She placed a hand on his back. "We need to go."

* * *

Alice didn't know how long she'd been wandering around in this forest. Trees reached up into the sky, blocking it from view as a fog hung low in the branches and misted the ground. Her feet sank into the mud and she could feel the condensation sticking to her skin like sap. The air was so heavy. She found it hard to breathe in, and even the branches she clung to for support were starting to smell damp and rotting.

It only seemed to get worse as she kept walking. More and more trees were losing their foliage, their leaves and needles falling to the ground but they hadn't even changed color yet. The mud was slowly starting to become untraversable and Alice had to make a lot of detours in her attempt to find something solid to stand on. Grassy terrain was becoming nigh impossible to find and her best bet was to stand on a fallen tree and look out into the mist to try and get her bearings.

It'd felt like days. Maybe weeks. Was she ever going to get out of this forest? Why was she in it to begin with? Something cold touched her then, skirting along her shoulder and she jumped and turned, her head whipping around. Nobody was there. "H-Hello..?" Her voice felt stunted, as if it wasn't going anywhere - like it was hitting a solid wall, but she kept speaking anyway. "I-Is anyone there..?"

What met her was silence, and not just the lack of a response. There weren't any animals rustling in the trees, no squirrels along the ground. The eerie quiet was only punctuated by the sound of her breathing and the drips of water off the bark.

She shivered and rubbed her arms. It was only getting colder. She walked further along the fallen stump, but as she looked to the ground she saw nothing but mud. She sighed, stepping into it, putting her weight on her foot…

And she fell. She squeaked, holding onto the trunk as she pulled herself up but lost her shoe as it sunk into the mud. She curled up, looking out at what she could see. "Why am I even here…?" She mumbled, feeling herself shake. "I feel like I was looking for something but…"

A breeze, cool but not cold, wafted through her hair and rubbed at her head. Startled, she raised her hands up, briefly feeling some kind of force in the air and at her cheek before it vanished completely. A breeze that reminded her of a cool autumn day, pleasant and calm.

She thought it strange how quickly everything changed then. How the fog practically sizzled out as it faded into the earth. How the trees themselves shrunk and the sky above cleared out, showing off a brilliant blue. How the ground hardened and grass grew up and around her legs and even had the kindness to return her shoe as she looked around in wonder.

But the newfound vision also filled her head with cotton. She blinked, her eyes weary as flowers grew and bloomed up around her and she rubbed at her eyes. It was warm again, and her head felt like it kept puffing up and up until-

Her eyes opened. Vision sharpened and cleared to show the ceiling of her room back in the Upper - HER room. She was surrounded in fluffy blankets and pillows. In fact, she was surrounded by too many - she could feel herself sweating and her back was killing her. She moved to sit up when she felt a tug at her shoulder blades and she paused, head turning as she felt an appendage she'd never had before move with her.

A wing. A bright, brilliantly white wing and her eyes widened and she ran her fingers through the feathers and normally she'd be excited - what angel wouldn't be? - but she had absolutely no idea how she got them. One moment she was protecting a bunch of fallens and the next she was here, wait… How did she get to the Upper?

She felt her face pale. Did somebody call the angels? Is that why she was here? Did they find the ink machine pieces? She felt her wings fluff up behind her as she moved to fling the blanket off but a weight by her feet became known to her then, a weight that gave a muffled shout and flung the blanket off their head.

"You're awake!" Rachel gasped. She got up and ran out of the room. "Mooom! Alice is awaakke!"

Alice sat in shock as she watched her little sister run away and out of the room. It didn't take long for most of her family to huddle by her bed, bombarding her with questions, hugging her, asking if she was ok. There was so much worry and relief and love radiating off of them but worry and concern was nailed deep into her gut and none of it helped.

Then a hush fell over as a set of footsteps came by the door and she looked up. Isaac, in his work clothes, knocked on the edge of the door. He gave a strained smile, but Alice could tell he was very concerned about something. "Hey, the little troublemaker's awake. You've been the talk of the Upper the last couple of days."

"Days?" Alice gaped.

Isaac chuckled. "Yeah. Unfortunately, I'm not just here to see my little sister after obsidian poisoning, I'm here on business too." He pulled a chair over and sat down as the whole family moved around him to let him through. "It's about the demon that brought you to the Upper."

"Demon…?" Her eyes widened, realizing who it must have been. "H-How - Is - Is he ok?" Alice looked at the way Isaac's brows furrowed, how one raised and how he seemed to scrutinize her as her fingers dug into the blanket.

"... I'll get to that in a moment. More importantly your wings," He nodded his head at them, giving a slight smile. "Congrats, you got them in about a year! That's pretty quick, how do you feel?"

"Isaac, please." Alice's heart wrenched, and she didn't even care how her emotions must have felt to her family at this point. "Bendy. What happened to him?"

"Was that his name?" Isaac hummed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, well… you see… the report is a demon came up to the gate with an injured angel and handed her over. Afterwards he collapsed and, well, demons aren't allowed anywhere near the Upper outside of trial and so one of the guards did their job. That's it."

Alice froze.

"Then immediately after you got your wings. It's… certainly an interesting story." He frowned as he kept talking.

Alice couldn't hear him. Anything he was saying turned into a muffled noise in the back of her mind, dragged so deep she barely acknowledged it. The angel guards had done their job. Bendy was dead. They'd sliced him up, killed him, stabbed him, and tossed the body sun knows where.

"But he was melting when he'd gotten here, practically turned into a puddle, so we're not sure if… Alice? Alice," She felt a hand on her shoulder but her mind was still reeling. "Hey, Alice, look at me - why are you crying?"

She looked up. She couldn't see very well. She felt something warm and wet running down her cheeks and plipping onto her hands below her. Her breath came in in a shaky stutter and left just as hoarsely. Her brother seemed to hesitate, pausing for a moment before hugging her, drawing her close. Alice gasped and sobbed as she shut her eyes, bringing her arms up around him as her wings shook behind her.

Bendy had saved her, rescued her from her own stupidity.

And he was gone.

They'd killed him - her people had killed him. He was the reason she'd gotten her wings, he was… _was…!_

"_Maybe I'm just a good actor,"_

_She'd snorted. "No way, sir! I've seen you around everyone. You can't convince me otherwise!"_

"_Not even when I turn into that giant monster? Or when you are scared to be around me sometimes? Not even when I make you shiver?"_

He didn't deserve this. Any of this. No demon like him deserved this, and yet…

There'd be an investigation, a questioning. They might even confront the king of demons - just because he'd _saved_ her. This wasn't right. If there was even a sliver of a chance of there being more demons like Bendy, she could never let that happen. Let her people kill them all like they did to Bendy. Not even give them a chance to speak, ignoring their right to be heard. For angels to not even listen to them, to treat them as subhuman.

"_You're different, Alice. I know you don't mean to hurt my 're just...You're in a difficult situation that I don't understand. And it seems like all the stardust from before, but like I said, you're protecting me."_

But that wasn't all there was to it. Now there was only one person left who could read the map. One last brother. She couldn't even begin to imagine breaking the news to him, if she was ever allowed to leave the upper again. "_I hardly get angels. You're my example. Maybe you can hash it out to me."_

Oddswell, Holly, Cala - all of them. Boris most of all. They'd all be devastated. They'd lose their hope. All of them. Bendy may have never fully realized it but he'd been one hell of a stick of glue, binding them all together, keeping their dreams alive.

Dreams. This was all so much bigger then one single dream. Alice sniffled, her sobs starting to die down. It was the dreams of many, and few. Of noble snobs and beggars. Of demons…

...Of angels. And she knew one other person that could read that map. One other that'd be willing to risk it all to get that machine put together. She rubbed her eyes, her vision too blurred to be able to properly see her brother or the rest of her family but she could feel the emotions in the room. The confusion, the worry. It was starting to overshadow the relief, though it was there in the back of their thoughts. Happy she was alive.

And that he was dead.

"_But it would be my fault you don't get your wings! Isn't that a big deal for an angel?"_

She felt her nails digging into her palms. She sniffed. "Move, Isaac."

Isaacs brows rose, he tutted, a playful wag to the finger he shook at her. "You're on bed rest, little miss-"

"I need air. Move." She pushed her brother away with a strength that possessed her. Startled and unexpecting, he hit the floor. Her family moved like a wave at her anger as she marched out the door, down the stairs and out of the house.

The sky shined a brilliant blue. Angels went around their day like it was nothing, but some turned to stare at her. She ignored all of them as she kept walking. Her anger turning into resolve with each clack against the stone.

She'd help to build that ink machine in any way possible. It was the reason she got her wings, _he_ was the reason she'd gotten them - but in the end, Bendy was the one passing the baton on to her and she couldn't let him down. Bendy, the man with the hopes of the sick and dying on his shoulders. The one meant to save them all. Those hopes were passed onto her and she couldn't let any of them down. The ones that passed and the ones still alive…

One day they'd all be cured. And she'd be a driving force behind it all. She'd make certain of it. Her and Boris both.


End file.
